On the 900th day of the war, the Head of the UGCC, on behalf of the Mudra Sprava Foundation, called on all concerned to help feed the hungry this winter

His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, said this in a traditional video address on the 900th day of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukrainian land.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that this 130^th week of this sacrilegious, unjust war was perhaps one of the most difficult in more than 2 years of full-scale military confrontation… Heavy fighting is taking place along the entire front line. Recently, the Ukrainian state announced a forced evacuation, in particular from five villages on the northern border of Sumy region, where active hostilities are taking place. Children are also being forcibly evacuated from several settlements in the Donetsk region. This was reported by the Information Department of the UGCC.

“Our Church is trying to do everything to help in this evacuation, and then to accept those wounded people into the open arms of the loving church community,” said the Head of the Church.

He thanked God and the Armed Forces of Ukraine: “We are alive. Despite the daily air attacks on our cities and villages, intense fighting, tears, blood, suffering, Ukraine is standing, Ukraine is praying, Ukraine is fighting!”

His Beatitude noted that this week our Church once again tried to rethink and then re-plan its social ministry in Ukraine: “We have three main tools through which we can save human life during this war. These are Caritas Ukraine, which cooperates with the international organization Caritas Internationalis, the Patriarchal Foundation ‘Mudra Sprava’, which involves our church structures around the world, and the international organization of catholic men ‘Knights of Columbus.’

According to him, a very good event has taken place — the Slovak government has once again resumed cooperation with “Mudra Sprava”. “This foundation,” he said,” was created under the inspiration of the social teaching and therefore the business morality of the righteous Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. His social wisdom formed the basis for the creation of this instrument of our Church. The goal of the foundation is to transform society and build a better social life, to transform our country.”

On behalf of “Mudra Sprava”, the Head of the Church called on all concerned to help feed the hungry this winter: “For almost three years in a row, we have been creating the necessary ecosystems of Ukraine’s economic life to feed the needy Ukrainians, but with the Ukrainian food that we have today and that the Foundation ‘Mudra Sprava’ supplies to our parishes in Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk and the South of the country every week, feeding millions.”

His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized that the UGCC is actively fighting on the humanitarian front and thanked everyone who helps. “We ask you: do not get tired of this help, because, unfortunately, this winter may be much harder than the previous ones,” he urged.